Monday, January 12, 2015

2014 in Hindsight for the Writer in Me #2014inreview

Happy New Year!


Well, 2014 has come and gone. It had it's up and downs, but if I had to use one word to sum up 2014, it was about "change."

And change isn't easy to deal with, even when you're flexible. People like to be grounded in routine, and change gets us out of our routines and stirs up the pot.

Some of the Fun Stuff: Writing, Marketing, and Reading

I was able to use Goddess Fish Blog tours for steady promotion. I focused on the review tours because I figured reviewers are reading and I want to get people reading. The Moldavian Moon, Windsor Diaries, and Hungarian Moon series all went on tour. I intend to continue using Goddess Fish in 2015.

I also used Book Daily for promo focusing on Victorian Scoundrel. I found Fussy Librarian and used them for promo, too. Going forward, I intend to focus on these promo methods and I hope to add one more blog tour company this year.

Writing wise, I published "A Lady Never Lies," Book 3 in the Windsor Diaries series and several short stories for the 2014 Victory Tales Press anthologies: "Arrow Through the Heart," "Young Witchcraft," and "Mr. Christmas Elf." I also wrote "Union Vote" for the Writer's Digest annual contest.


My writing has slowed down due to real life commitments, but I'm very pleased with the stories I had to offer this year.

Going forward, I have two stories I'd like to focus on, "A Princess is Always Right," and "Christmas in Germany." I foresee continuing to write at a slower pace and honestly, it will be nice not to have to write for a deadline knowing my real life commitments.

Reading wise, I discovered Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum series. I really enjoyed reading these books. They were lighthearted and fun. Janet uses a great first person character voice.

I read the "killing" series by Bill O'Reilly. Love or hate his politics, his "Killing" series is well presented and shares interesting anecdotes about the historical times they are rooted in.

I re-read "Game of Thones" and "Clash of Kings" for a deeper, more critical read and I caught up on my Percy Jackson series with "Mark of Athena" and "House of Hades." I explored the Hunger Games and the Maze Runner. I read the prequel to the Maze Runner, "The Kill Order" and I'm going to start the New Year off with "The Scorch Trials."

Surprisingly, I didn't read much romance. I did read 3-5 books in the romance genre. I only wish I had time to read more.

My top 5 books:


Killing Patton
Mark of Athena
The Kill Order
One for the Money
Mockingjay

What did I learn about reading/marketing/writing that I can take forward into the new year?


Answer: My marketing efforts need to be consistent so my name is always floating around the net. I need to find time to write a little a day, just to keep words floating around my head, and I need to read so I can get lost in another writer's world. If anything, I'd love to read more Shana Galen, who is one of my favorite romance writers.

Question for you: Who are some of your favorite writers? 

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